Vocabulary Word List For La Salud

Trying to figure out what should be in a vocabulary list when the topic is la salud? Here you'll find a list of the most common words and a lesson plan for using it in the classroom.

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Traveling Healthy

As any student who has ever studied abroad knows, knowing health terms in Spanish is extremely necessary. Everyone needs to know how to express illness or injuries when they are in a foreign country! Now that you are teaching Spanish, how will you teach your students about la salud? A vocabulary word list is important to study before your students venture away from home.

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La Salud Vocabulary Word List

Do you have a headache or sore throat? These are some of the most common injuries and problems you may encounter.

asma - asthma

gripe - flu

herida - wound/injury

infarto - heart attack

varicela - chicken pox

Is the problem a pain in your body? Try one of these phrases to describe your pain.

tener dolor de cabeza - to have a headache

tener dolor de dientes - to have a toothache

tener dolor de espalda - to have a backache

tener dolor de estómago - to have a stomach ache

tener dolor de gargantuan - to have a sore throat

tener dolor de oídos - to have an earache

There are also many verbs that can be included among a la salud vocabulary word list. Some of these are:

doler - to hurt

estar mareado - to feel dizzy

extruder - to sneeze

tener náuseas - to feel sick

toser - to cough

vomitar - to vomit/throw up

But wait! You can now say that you have a pain and that you are throwing up, but who are you going to say it to? The doctor, of course! Here are some other words you may need to know if you are going to go to a hospital and see a doctor.

curita - bandaid

enfermera - nurse

hospital - hospital

inyección - injection

medicina - medicine

médico - doctor

silla de ruedas - wheelchair

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Ideas for Teaching La Salud Vocabulary

One of the best ideas for teaching the la salud vocabulary word list is to do a role play as a doctor and a patient. Give students cards with their “injury" on it and have them find a partner. Running up to their partner they can act as if they have an injury. An example of this would go as follows:

Patient: “Medico, medico!"

Doctor: “Que es la problema?" (What is the problem?)

Patient: “ Yo tengo un dolor de cabeza." ( I have a headache.)

Doctor: Pretending to fix the problem. “Es mejor?" (Is it better?)

Patient: Si. Gracias. (Yes, thank you.)

Then, have the students switch and perform the role play in reverse.

Another idea for teaching la salud vocabulary would be to give each student an outline of a person. Then have the students label which part of the body each illness or pain is associated with.

Learning la salud vocabulary can be an exciting and important part of a student’s Spanish language acquisition. Getting students involved in classroom activities and role-play can help them to speed up their language learning and solidify the words in their memory.